Red Base

"We wanted Nevada, we got Neath."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: August 2020

Printed in: Torchwood Monthly 41

Featuring: Andy

Synopsis

Mars is the next giant leap for mankind. Starr Base is the first small step. A practice Mars base has been set up in a quarry in Neath, just off the A474. Its aim is to see if humanity can survive on the red planet.

The problem is that the crew are dying. The survivors are terrified, paranoid, and wondering if something alien has got inside Starr Base. Sgt Andy Davidson has come to find out what's gone wrong.

Verdict

Red Base was a really strong audio to continue my way through the monthly adventures of Torchwood from Big Finish! Andy is a really fun character and he does a tremendous job in the lead role here. He’s full of energy and intrigue with his demeanour and maturity making me think this is some considerable distance into the television era of Torchwood, if not beyond it. I can’t imagine he’d have dealt with the situation here at Starr Base well if it was soon after Gwen left his side for Torchwood. His relationship with Torchwood is a lengthy and turbulent one but he doesn’t seem to have any hesitation in calling them in here. He realised that some elements of the situation were beyond his capabilities and that was well done. I thought the concept of the titular base was intriguing and I loved the realisation that it wasn’t actually on Mars but in of all places Neath! Now, Neath is a place very familiar to me as I lived there from the age of ten up to moving out for university with my mum still living there. I haven’t visited the town itself for a couple of years, but let’s just say it’s not the most pleasant of places in South Wales and its reputation has diminished in a big way over the last decade or so. So when the line came about hoping for Nevada and getting Neath I couldn’t help but laugh out loud! There’s a roundabout on the way to Swansea where this quarry location could feasibly be, and the humour of going into town towards the end was a nice touch. There wouldn’t be much on offer there! I must give an honourable mention to the artwork as the image of Andy in a spacesuit with the Welsh dragon adorning it is just brilliant. A sight to behold! I thought the story focusing on a Mars simulation was very good and I was surprised that the experiment went so far as to be testing for terminal happenings. That seems a little overkill! Dave was a fun character as the automated assistant that had gone wrong. His logical way of thinking was decent and Andy trying to utilise that to his advantage was a nice effort. The incorporation of a reality television show into the story was perhaps where the story dwindled slightly, but that’s such a fun concept and a little more explanation or elaboration could have been warranted. Some of the characters in this one were great with Faisal’s death being very much heartfelt, although when Mina started snogging his corpse when she thought it was all part of the show things took a dark and twisted turn! That was pretty grotesque. She was a really nice character though and probably my favourite of the bunch. Andy getting his explanation moment at the end after they used Dave as a battering ram to overcome the air lock was wonderful. He’d worked everything out and whilst it was true that Dave had a systems failure, it was infiltrated by Emma when she saw the first signs. She was pretty jealous at the fact she’d never actually go to Mars which was a good motive. A selfish villain definitely works well and she hardly denied it at the end which said a lot. Andy boasting how she’d be the first person arrested on Mars was quite humorous though! He seemed to enjoy that. Overall, a great listen!

Rating: 8/10